San Francisco Bulls Hockey Announces New CEO

Feb. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Bulls Hockey Organization has announced the addition of Joe Wagoner as their new Chief Executive Officer.  Wagoner brings an 18-year background in sports marketing and management to the Bulls CEO position, as well as expertise in sports franchise startup and reorganization.    

“Joe is a key addition to the organization and we’re excited to welcome him to the team,” says Bulls President and Head Coach, Pat Curcio.  “He has a strong background in sports franchise management and we are looking forward to having him on board as we ramp up for the season opener in October.”

Wagoner joins the Bulls from the Sacramento Mountain Lions Professional Football Team (UFL), where he was tasked with building the identity of the franchise and setting up the organizational infrastructure prior to their inaugural 2010 season.  

“There is nothing more exciting and rewarding to me than building a sports franchise from the ground up. It’s a challenge and a rare opportunity that I am grateful to be a part of,” states Wagoner.  

Prior to the Mountain Lions, Wagoner served as Vice President of Sales, Director of Ticket Sales, Director of Marketing, and Assistant General Manager for several professional baseball franchises across the United States.  

About Joe Wagoner
Wagoner started his career in 1994 with the Sioux Falls Canaries Minor League baseball team in South Dakota.  He worked his way through the organization and achieved the title of Director of Marketing.

In 2002, Joe came to California to secure Corporate Partnerships for the Sacramento River Cats AAA baseball team.  He was promoted to Director of Marketing and played a key role in successfully defending the River Cats’ national attendance title three years in a row.    

In 2007 Wagoner headed back to the Midwest where we was the Vice President of Sales for the Peoria Chiefs Minor League Baseball Team, where he contributed to two consecutive years of revenue and attendance records.  Next, as Director of Ticket Sales for Chicago’s Kane County Cougars, Joe was charged with re-organizing and rejuvenating the team’s ticket sales program.

Back to California, Joe broke all-time ticket sales and revenue records as the Assistant General Manager of the Modesto Nuts Minor League Baseball Team.  In 2010, Joe was hired to lead the start-up effort for the Sacramento Mountain Lions UFL professional football team.  

About the ECHL and the Bulls:
The ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states.  Today, the league has 20 teams in 14 states.  The ECHL celebrated its 20th Anniversary in 2007-08 and is the third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League.  The ECHL has had 273 players reach the NHL over the last eight seasons. It’s the primary developmental league for the NHL and the AHL.  On opening day of the 2010-11 season, 79 former ECHL players were on NHL rosters. The ECHL teams are divided into the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.  The Bulls will join the Western Conference, which includes the Alaska Aces, Bakersfield Condors, Colorado Eagles, Idaho Steelheads, Las Vegas Wranglers, Stockton Thunder, Ontario Reign, and the Utah Grizzlies. All teams play a 72-game schedule.  For more information please visit www.echl.com.

For more information about The San Francisco Bulls, including season ticket opportunities and corporate partnerships, please visit http://www.sfbulls.com or call 415-469-9843.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sanfranciscobulls
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sf_bulls

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The San Francisco Bulls are a professional hockey team in the Western Conference of the ECHL. Learn more at www.sfbulls.com or www.echl.com